North Shore High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps visits Ellington Field

North Shore High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets toured the 147th Reconnaissance Wing at Ellington Field in Houston November 7, 2015. The cadets stopped at the Air Support Operations Squadron to speak with Tactical Air Control Party members and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers about their job as well as the wing's hangar to learn about the MQ-1 Predator.

North Shore High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets toured the 147th Reconnaissance Wing at Ellington Field in Houston November 7, 2015. The cadets stopped at the Air Support Operations Squadron to speak with Tactical Air Control Party members and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers about their job as well as the wing's hangar to learn about the MQ-1 Predator.

North Shore High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets toured the 147th Reconnaissance Wing at Ellington Field in Houston November 7, 2015. The cadets stopped at the Air Support Operations Squadron to speak with Tactical Air Control Party members and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers about their job as well as fly a virtual airplane and trek through a mock deployment zone in the squadron's new $2 million Air National Guard Advanced Joint Terminal Attack Controller Training System.

North Shore High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets toured the 147th Reconnaissance Wing at Ellington Field in Houston November 7, 2015. The cadets stopped at the Air Support Operations Squadron to speak with Tactical Air Control Party members and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers about their job as well as fly a virtual airplane and trek through a mock deployment zone in the squadron's new $2 million Air National Guard Advanced Joint Terminal Attack Controller Training System.

North Shore High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets toured the 147th Reconnaissance Wing at Ellington Field in Houston November 7, 2015. The cadets stopped at the Air Support Operations Squadron to speak with Tactical Air Control Party members and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers about their job and equipment as well as the wing's hangar to view the MQ-1 Predator.

North Shore High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets toured the 147th Reconnaissance Wing at Ellington Field in Houston November 7, 2015. The cadets stopped at the Air Support Operations Squadron to speak with Tactical Air Control Party members and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers about their job as well as the wing's hangar to learn about the MQ-1 Predator.

November 7, 2015 -- North Shore Senior High School Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps cadets took a tour of the 147th Reconnaissance Wing at Ellington Field Saturday, making stops at the Air Support Operations Squadron as well as the wing's hangar to see the MQ-1 Predator.

"This is our first time doing this trip," said retired Master Sgt. David Clark, an AFJROTC instructor at the school. "The kids were very interested and very excited. In fact, we almost had to put a limit on how many we can bring just to make sure we could fit them all on the bus."

The cadets' first stop was at the ASOS to speak with Tactical Air Control Party members and Joint Terminal Attack Controllers about their job.

"One of our instructors, Master Sergeant Clark, he worked as a TACP," said AFJROTC cadet Col. Christopher Rodriguez. "So I got some insight on his job."

The cadets looked through a pair of night vision goggles, wore a helmet and Kevlar vest and handled an array of tactical equipment.

They also got a behind the scenes look at the squadron's newest addition-their $2 million Air National Guard Advanced Joint Terminal Attack Controller Training System. The Virtual Reality Scene Generator was a big hit with the students, who flew a virtual airplane and trekked through a mock deployment zone.

The last stop of the tour was at the wing's hangar to learn more about the MQ-1 Predator and how it aids in the wartime mission.

"It was a really fun, really exciting trip," said Rodriguez. "We got to learn quite a bit, a lot of interesting stuff."

"It was a success, a big success," said Clark. "The kids loved it so we'll definitely be back."